Germany´s most important and precious collection is centrally located on an island in the middle of the Spree River. The Museum Island between Brandenburg Gate and Alexanderplatz is home to five different museums. Each museum is situated in another breath-taking building. Here you can find a unique collection of the art and cultural history of Europe and the whole Mediterranean region.
The world famous and central building of Museum Island is called Altes Museum. It was built between 1823 and 1830 and with its beautiful porch and elegant staircase facing Lustgarten and the harmonious rotunda it reminds of the Roman Pantheon. In particular, the famous collection of antiquities can be admired here. Only a few meters away you can find another top museum: Neues Museum. In 2009 the breathtaking building was reopened after an extensive refurbishment and today it attracts visitors from all over the world. The most famous masterpiece is undoubtedly the world-famous bust of Nefertiti. The Old National Gallery, with its significant 19th-century building, is the island's most significant building. Here you can see paintings and pictures from the Goethe era to realism. With Pergamon Museum and Bode Museum, Museum Island offers even more art historical highlights.
Berlinische Galerie is located in the popular neighborhood of Kreuzberg. The museum is divided into two different categories: On the ground floor of the house there is always a special exhibition program. The pieces here range from classical modernism to contemporary art in Berlin. Upstairs there is an exciting permanent exhibition on art in and around Berlin.
Not far from Bahnhof Zoo you can find the Museum of Photography of the Helmut Newton Foundation. For friends and fans of photography this amazing place is an absolute must. The collection includes unique objects of all forms of photography from the 19th to the 21st century.
Due to its extraordinary political significance for world history, it is not surprising that Berlin also has a large number of politically motivated museums.
The Wall Museum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie shows the history of the most inhuman border in the world - The Berlin Wall. Here you can see original tools of successful escapes such as getaway cars, hot air balloon and home-made mini-submarines. In addition, the museum also honors works by artists who have suffered under just the worst living conditions of the GDR and experienced political pressure in their art.
Berlin remembers the crimes of the Nazi era with the memorial site Topography of Terror in Berlin Mitte. The memorial itself is located on a historic square: the Secret State Police, the Bunker and the Reich Security Main Office were housed here between 1933 and 1945.
